Automatic shutoff valve



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR.

J. T. CRONKHITE AUTOMATIC SHUTQFF VALVE Filed June 3. 1939 Aug. 6, 1940;

Aug. 6, 1940.

AUTOMATIC SHUTOFF VALVE Filed June 3. 19:59

2 Sheets-SheetI 2 44 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC SEUTOFF VALVE John T. Cronkhite, Wichita, Kans.

Application June 3, 1939, Serial No. 277,179

Claims.

This invention relates to automatic shutoff valves particularly designed for pipe lines and the like.

It is common practice to convey oil from storage tanks to loading docks or other tanks through lines of considerable length. It is common practice to have a number o1' storage tanks connected to one main line, and heretofore diiliculty has been encountered in the operation of the system because of the introduction of air in the pipe line.

There are various causes of air entering the pipe line, the ilrst being that if one of the storage tanks is emptied and no valve is provided in the line for shutting oil communication between the empty tank and line, the pull of air through the line either by pump or gravity will cause air to enter the line. 'I'his difficulty is well known in the oil industry and various attempts have been made to overcome the inclusion of air 'in the line, but previous devices have been more or less bulky and cumbersome, so I have provided a simple, easily installed, and inexpensive construction of automatic shutoff to exclude air from Athe line below the valve, and I have provided means in conjunction with the valve for eliminating any air entering the line.

'I'he novelty of my invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, to wit:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a pair of storage tanks and part of the flow line showing myvinvention installed, the tanks being above the ground.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the headers below the ground.. Y

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view of a oat-valve lifter.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the bleeder valve.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the valve seat showing the valve cage and parts of the guide for the head of the valve lifter.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the valve seat showing parts of the 'valve cage and the valve lifter head guide.

Fig. is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view of the shutoi! valve showing the valve in seated position, and

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the valve unseated.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals of reference. In Fig. l numbers I and 2 designate two tanks above the ground connected into a header 3 which communicates with the valve casing 4 of the shutofl' valve. The discharge end 5 of the shutoi valve is connected to the flow line 6, in which is a mechanically operated shutoi valve 1.

In Fig. 2 a similar construction is employed with the exception that the header 3 has an offset 5 or el'bow portion 8 to locate the shutoff valve casing 4 above the ground, even though the header 3 is located below the ground.

As heretofore explained, the purpose oi the invention is to reduce the liability of air enter- 10 ing the line 6. The novel method of accomplishing this is best illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8, in which the valve casing 3 is shown as consisting of a T having its inlet 9 in communication with` the pipe 6 and its outlet I0 discharg- 16 ing into pipe Il which communicates with the 'main flow line leading to the storage tanks or other means provided for receiving the oil pumped through the line, it being understood that the flow in the line is induced by gravity or by a suction pump for `boosting the ilow from the storage tank to the points of delivery.

The upper end I2 of the T is provided with a oat chamber here shown as consisting of a pipe I3, having a cap I 4 for closing the upper end so 25 that the valve casing or head of the T is in constant communication with the oat chamber.

At the outlet end of the valve casing is a disc like plug I5 which may ibe threaded in the pipe II or in the T, and said plug is provided with a conical valve seat I6 to receive the conical end I1 of a oat-valve I8. I'he float-valve I8 is guided in actual alignment with the opening surrounded 'by the valve seat, by a valve cage which consists of equi-distantly located vertical guide rods I9 35 carried by the valve seat member I5. The upper ends of the rods I9 surround a space larger than that surrounded by the remaining portion of the rods so that a flared eiect is provided to locate the valve in proper actual alignment with its 40 seat. The oat chamber I3 is preferably long enough to permit the ioat I8 to be entirely received thereby, and it is desirable that the oat I8 move high enough from its seat during the flow of oil so that it will be out of the major portion of the flow of liquid through the valve casing.

By reference to Figs. 3, 7, and 8, it will be observed that thefloat I8 is provided with a valve lifter located below the seat. The valve lifter includes a shaft 20 in a stuillng .'box 2| in the 50 pipe II, and on the inner end of the shaft 20 isa crank 22 loosely connected to a link 23, which in turn is loosely connected to the boss 24 on the lifter head 25. The lifter head consists of a i'lnger socket 26, having oppositely disposed webs or wings 21 and 2l, which with grooved ends 2l and 30, receive the guide rods 3l and I2' rigidly carried by and depending from the plug It, so that' the liability of m head 21 having any axial movement will be eliminated. The socket 8l carries an upstanding finger I1 which is of sumclent length to lift the float-valve It a considerable distance off its seat so that when it is unseated, oil can flow from the inlet to the outlet of the valve casing without interference by the float and without affecting the iioat toward seating engagement.

It will be obvious byreference to the drawings that when there is no flow of oil in the line, the valve Il will seat upon its seat, as shown in Fig. '1,

so that communication from the tanks to the sources of delivery will be shut oif. When it is desired to establish communication between the storage tanks and the pump or other sources, the handle 3l can be manipulated to turn the shaft 2l to cause the crank and link and head 28 to lift the finger 31 against the bottom of the float Il, and raise it a considerable distance from its seat so that oil may now through the outlet. The incoming oil will of course act as a buoyancy medium for the iioat, and it will substantially fill the noat chamber- I3 so that the oat may be received in the float chamber.

When the oil or liquid passes up into the float chamber, any gaseous uid will escape through the bleeder valve 3l. This is shown as a tubular chamber, having air or gas inlets Il in its side which communicate with a port 4I surrounded at the top by a check valve seat l2 to receive a check valve I3. 'I'he check-valve is outwardly opening so that any gaseous iluid compressed by the column of liquid entering the oat chamber passes through the bleeder valve member into the discharge pipe Il preferably provided with a petcock 4l in the downwardly disposed end of the pipe M. Any tendency for air to flow back into the oat chamber will be eliminated by the check valve I3 in an obvious manner.

In order to prevent liquid from passing out through the bleeder valve membe I provide a float actuated valve ll on which is a float I9. When the liquid rises a sufilcient distance in the float chamber, the float Il will rise with it and cause the valve to seat upon the seat 41 so that no liquid may pass out through the bleeder valve.

I! there is a tendency for the stem 48 to stick, the float Il will assist the lift of the oat I! when it floats up into the float chamber, so liability of failure of the valve 4l will be eliminated.

In the event that the liquid level in one of the storage tanks is low enough to permit air to enter the header, there would be a tendency for air to be drawn from the tank into the float chamber. In that event, there would be no liquid in the float chamber, so the host-valve Il will bev immediately seated ,to close oi! communication between the empty tank and the pipe line until an attendant shuts o! the outlet valve for the empty tank. When the valves for the liquid containing tank or tanks are opened, the oil from the tanks containing liquid will flow into the inlet and into the float chamber, but the float Il will not` unseat until it is lifted of! its seat because there will be a certain amount of suction below the valve Il due to the fact that the booster pump or gravity pull is a suction pull. The operator now turns the handle il so as to cause the finger I1 to lift the valve Il off its seat above the ow line of the incoming' liquid, and inasmuch as the liquid has entered into the float chamber, the buoyancy thereof will cause the float-valve Il to remain in the oat chamber oif its seat, so the flow through the valve casing 3 will be unimpeded.

As heretofore explained, the entrance of liqui'd into the float chamber will cause the liquid to act as a piston to' compress any vapor or gaseous liquid in the top of the iioat chamber, and this will be bled out through the bleeder valve. When the storage tank is shut oil', the suction will pull the liquid from the float chamber to cause the liit "to reseat itself to the position shown in Attention is called to the fact that my device is so designed that the maior portion of it may be constructed of standard pipe line fittings which are available everywhere, and thereby I am enabled to construct an emcient device in a very inexpensive manner, but I do not wish to be 9 limited entirely to the use of pipe ilttings, although the feature enables the device "to be manufactured at a'minimum cost.

Attention is also called to the fact that the float-valve unseating nnger and the head 1I which supports it will be of sufficient weight, assisted by the iiow of the liquid, to cause the finger to be retracted after it has been raised by the lever I8. This is of considerable importance because if the valve unseating finger is automatically retracted away from the valve seat, the seating of the float-valve will be assured when the liquid in the noat chamber is lowered.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the device for shutting oi! the communication between storage tanks and the sources of distribution until the air is disposed of, has marked advantages over existing devices-#that the device is simple in construction, easily manufactured, and efilcient for the purpose intended.

What I claim is:\

1. An automatic cut off device for liquid-conductinglines comprising a casing having a side inlet, a bottom discharge opening and a float chamber at its top, a circular valve seat in the discharge opening, an independently movable float-valve bodily receivable in the float chamber, adapted to close the opening surrounded by the valve seat, a manually operable oat valve lifter flnger below the valve seat to bodily liftl` the float-valve above the lower portion of the side inlet to permit liquid entering through the inlet opening in the casing to flow through the discharge opening, a socket member for the lifter nger, oppositely disposed wings 'on the socket having grooves in their outer edges, fixed guide rods engaging the grooves in the edges of the wings, and a float actuated discharge valve permitting gaseous fluid to pass from the iloat chamber.

2. An automatic cut oif device for liquid cono ducting lines comprising a casing having a side inlet, a bottom outlet opening and a float chamber at its top in open communication with the casing, a valve seat in the casing between the inlet and the outlet, a host-valve in the casing, receivable in the float chamber, oat guides carried by the valve seat, a float-valve unseatins finger normally below the valve seat proiectable through it to unseat the valve. a weighted fingercentering member on the lower end of the finger having grooves, guide rods in the grooves, and means for actuating said finger.

3. An automatic cut of! device for liquid conducting lines comprising a casing having a side u inlet, a bottom outlet opening and a oat chamber at its top in open communication with the casing, a valve seat in the casing between the inlet and the outlet, a float-valve in the casing, receivable in the oat chamber, oat guides carried by the valve seat, and a oat-valve unseating linger normally below the valve seat projectable through it to unseat the valve, and means for actuating said iinger, and weighted means below the valve seat for maintaining the linger in axial alignment with the opening surrounded by the valve seat and for urging the nger into retracted position.

4. An automatic cut on device for liquid conducting lines comprising a casing having a side inlet, a bottom outlet opening and a float cham ber at its top in open communication with the casing, a valve seat in the casing between the inlet and the outlet, a oat-valve in the casing,

20 receivable in the iioat chamber, oat guides carried by the valve seat, guide rods depending from the valve seat, a manually actuatable head engaging the guide rods and an upstanding valve unseating iinger carried by the head projectable througlfrthe valve seat to raise the oat-valve into the float chamber.

5. An automatic cut oil' device for liquid conducting lines comprising a casing having a side inlet, a bottom outlet opening and a float chamber at its top in open communication with the casing, a valve seat in the casing between the inlet and the outlet, a float-valve in the casing, receivable in the oat chamber, oat guides carried by the valve seat, guide rods depending from the valve seat, a manually actuatable weighted head engaging the guide rods and an upstanding valve unseating finger carried by the head projectable through the valve seat to raise the floatvalve into the iloat chamber.

JOHN T. CRONmITE. 20 

